News + Events

What is an excavation entity and why should you care? If you’re an ITIC user, creating the excavation entity that identifies your work area is one of the single most important things you do when submitting a ticket. Let’s find out why.

An excavation entity is the parcel, circle, route, feature, shapefile, or free-hand/GPS-generated polygon used to identify your area of excavation when you submit an ITIC ticket. The entity that you choose when outlining your work area has a big impact on the results you get from locators marking your work area. Wondering which Gopher State One Call (GSOC) mapping tool is best to outline your proposed excavation area? Keep reading to find out!

You probably know that Gopher State One Call (GSOC) sends copies of tickets to both excavators and facility operators. Did you know that tickets sent by email contain a powerful tool called MapLINK that provides advanced features to both excavators and facility operators at no additional charge? Read on to learn more!

When an excavator uses ITIC to file a locate request, GSOC will send the excavator a record copy via email that includes a specialized MapLINK to their information. This link provides excavators immediate online access to all their tickets, including a map of the excavation site and utility notification list. Excavators can use MapLINK to easily verify the accuracy of submitted tickets and access other advanced features.

Jill Hayes, One Call Concepts, Inc.'s (OCC) Database Administrator for Gopher State One Call (GSOC), works on the utility notification side of the one call process and updates GSOC’s base notification maps. She obtains and maintains membership information, which consists of contact information, where to send locate requests, billing information, etc., and enters this information into the GSOC database.

She is a contact for the facility operators who use Locator Ticket Management (LTM), which is an application that customers use to receive tickets, quickly assign them to locators, efficiently track progress of assigned work, view area locations on satellite imagery, optimize routes, update positive response information, archive tickets, and run reports. She also enjoys working directly with the facility operators to create and update their notification areas. Changes to notification areas can be made through paper maps, digital data, or using IMAP, an online database management application. Users can view, add, modify, and delete notification polygons with this tool. She conducts IMAP training sessions in person or via a webinar.

Jill began her career in the one call industry in 2003 as a front-line Customer Service Representative at the GSOC notification center. Shortly after, she was promoted to a Lead Operator, then promoted again to a Supervisor position. As a Supervisor, one area that she enjoyed was being able to problem solve. It was then that she began learning about the mapping software and assisting customers with any issues they were experiencing. When OCC took over the GSOC contract in 2016, an opportunity presented itself, and she was promoted to the Database Administrator.

Jill is an asset to GSOC and helps our users better understand the online tools that we offer. Feel free to contact Jill by emailing imap@gopherstateonecall.org or by calling 877-848-7472 to ask any questions you may have or to schedule a training!

Must Manually Enter Start Date and Time for online Ticket Requests for Normal, Meet and Boundary Survey Tickets

For online submitted Normal, Meet and Boundary Survey tickets, the requested start date and time must now be manually entered. The start date and time will no longer default to 48 hours (not including weekends and holidays).

This change is being made to facilitate more precise start date and times on ticket requests.

Remember: You are permitted to submit a ticket up to 14 days in advance of your start date and time.

If you have a large project where construction will be conducted in phases, GSOC suggests you consider utilizing a Meet Ticket.

Underground safety is a Shared Responsibility:

With the late spring, there are high demands on all aspects of the one call process. Communication among all stakeholders is critical to underground safety

Please remember to white mark where practical.

Describe your excavation area as precisely as possible.

Coming Soon: Extended Start Time for Normal Tickets

This new feature, Extended Start Time will allow a Facility Operator to request an extension to the work to begin date on a ticket of up to 24 hours. Extended Start Time was developed to permit compliance with Minnesota State Statute 216D for the requirement that facility operators perform a locate within 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) of the start date and time for normal tickets.

The request and acceptance to extend the start time must be completed prior to the original start date and time on the original ticket.

NEED MORE INFORMATION OR HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS?You can attend an ITIC training via one of our upcoming Webinar Wednesdays! If Wednesdays are not good for you, contact our ITIC department to schedule a webinar at a more convenient time.

In 2017, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) partnered with Cox Utility Services to fund an 811 Hot Air Balloon to travel across the country during the busy excavating season to promote the underground utility damage prevention message to all potential excavators. The balloon kicked off its journey in Sacramento, California on April 1st, the first day of national safe digging month, with a stop in Richmond, Virginia on 811 Day (August 11th), amongst other cities.